Shuttle holder



21, 1946. w. A. BEHRENS 2,400,528

' SHUTTLE HOLDER FiledMay ll, 1944 u,... n n

Patented May 21, 1946 SHUTTLE HOLDER Walter A. Behrens, Jamaica, N. Y., assigner to Pathe Tool Manufacturing Co. Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York' Application lvIay 1l, 1944., Serial No. 535,143

4 Claims.

This invention generally relates to shuttle holders for sewing or quilting machines, and is more specically directed to improvements in shuttle holders of the so-called free iioating type, such as are employed in multi-needle sewing or quilting machines operating at high speed.

In machines employing shuttle holders of this character, there is provided a drive frame or carriage suitably mounted for reciprocatory movement and comprising a pair of spaced parallel members having series of oppositely disposed alined grooves or slots. The shuttle holders, mounted on these members, comprise a bar which carries cradles for the shuttles and is provided with studs, vrivets or the like projecting therefrom for insertion into the aforementioned grooves, to locate the shuttle holder in the proper position on the carriage and to connect the same with the carriage for reciprocation therewith. The cradles may be so conformed as to xedly support and guide the shuttles during the reciprocatory movement of the drive carriage, or they may be formed with an open side and a shuttle supporting bottom inclined toward said open side to cause the shuttles to gravitate outwardly from the cradles toward stationary races or partitions arranged intermediate adjacent cradle carrying bars, said races limiting the outward displacement of the shuttles and slidingly guiding the same during the reciprocatory movement of the carriage. Reference is herein made to the U. S. Patent No. 1,802,869 to Boettcher, wherein the aforesaid type of drive carriage and shuttle mechanism is disclosed and illustrated in detail.

While the aforesaid Boettcher construction constitutes a considerable progress in the art as v compared with prior devices, because of the greatly increased speed of operation it permits to attain in machines of the aforementioned character, with the attendant obvious advantages, it is nevertheless not entirely satisfactory particularly ybecause of the rapid wear to which certain parts of the structure are subjected during the operation of the mechanism.

It is indeed well known to those skilled in the art that, owing to the slack or play existing between the surfaces of the grooves of the carriage andthe associated studs of the shuttle holders, and the high speed of operation of the machine Which may reach 400 reciprocations per minute, the respective surfaces of the grooves and studs are subjected to a striking action every time the direction of the movement of the carriage is reversed, with the resulting rapid Wear of the surfaces which causes defective operation of the machine and requires frequent substitution of parts.

Up to the present time, no means had been devised for eliminating this highly objectionable Wear, which constitutes a serious problem particularly in such multi-needle sewing or quilting machines in which a large number of Shuttle holders are employed.

It is therefore the general object of the invention to provide novel means for preventing any objectionable wear in the associated reciprocating elements 0f structures ci" the character described, thereby insuring a prolonged life of the mechanism and a generally improved and more economical operation of the machine.

More specifically, the invention aims at eliminating any wear producing striking action of the associated surfaces of the reciprocating drive carriage and shuttle holders, and to attain this result in a simple and inexpensive manner by providing a device adapted to be incorporated in the reciprocating mechanism without substantial modiiication of the usual construction thereof.

t is a further important and specinc object of the invention to provide spring means carried Iby the shuttle holders and associated With one or both of the grooved members of the drive carriage adapted to prevent any objectionable movement of the shuttle holder studs relative to the grooves into which they are inserted that would result in a striking contact between the respective surfaces, regardless of the changes in the direction of the movement of the carriage during the reciprocation of this latter.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following description of the invention illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reciprocable drive carriage for shuttle holders of a multi-needle sewing or quilting machine, to which the invention is applied, two of the shuttle holders being shown mounted on the carriage.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged. fragmentary view of one of the shuttle holders of Fig. 1, illustrating one of the studs thereof and spring' means associated with the stud according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged plan View, on line 3-3 of Fig, 4, of the shuttle holder and portions of the grooved members of the drive carriage on which the shuttle holder is mounted.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the structure of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of a shuttle holder and associated grooved member, showing additional spring means according to a modified embodiment of the invention. Y

Referring now in detailY to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, number I0 generally indicates a shuttle driving carriage or Y frame for a high speed multi-needle machine,

which comprises spaced parallel members I2 and y a pair of spaced parallel members I4 and I5 mounted on the membersv I2 transversely thereof and fastened thereto to form a rigid assembly,- the 1U dimensionsof the structure being, of course determined in relation to the operational require- Y ments of the machine to which the structure is to be applied; The transverse members I, `l5

are provided along the opposed Yor innerl sides thereof with a number of v.uniformly spaced slots l or grooves IB, the grooves of member I4 beingin alinement with the grooves of member I5, and

, the drive carriage, formed as described, is mounted'for reciprocation Vin a horizontal plane, as in- 20 dicated by the arrows''in Fig. 1, andV supported by any suitable means (not shown), the actuating 4 mechanism for the carriage' bein'g'likewise of a character known in the `art and forming no part of the present invention.

Theshuttle holders, two of which are shown in the drawing, are mounted on the bars' I, I5. There are as many shuttle holders as pairs of opposed grooves IS and each shuttle holder comprises an elongated bar I8 provided with 3U downwardly projecting studs 2li, 2 I, suitably fastened thereto or integral therewith,V the studs being spaced'from one another by an amount equal to the distance between opposed series ofen-r grooves I 6 and'being adapted for insertion in grooves of members I4 and I5, respectively, to positionthe shuttle holder on the carriage andV to connect the same to this latter for reciprocation therewith. Y Y Stud 2| is formed with a central reduced portion adapted to be received in a groove of member l5 an'ddefining a-retaining head portion 24 and an enlarged portion 25 adjacent the under side of the bar I8, the purpose whereof will be-, Y come hereinafter apparent.

shuttle, supporting cradles 2s Yare mounted on the upper face of thebar I6, said cradles being of known construction, such as disclosed in detail in the aforementioned Patent 1,802,869 toff,

Boettcher.

A substantially U-shaped springs is fastened to the underside of the bar I8,A with its leg 29 vclamped between the lower face of the4 bar and the enlarged portion 25 of the stud 2 I, the shorterg-) free leg 30 of the spring extending parallel to the leg 29 in the direction of the reduced portion of the stud. 'The length of this free leg 30 is such that when the shuttle holder is mounted on the drive carriage by inserting the studs thereof into6 their respective grooves, the forward edge 3| of the leg is caused to bear against the surface of the inner side of the member I5, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, to tense the spring, thereby urging the bar I8 of the shuttle holder toward the memberf '55 I4 .of the carriage and the stud 20 into firmengagement `with the surface of the" groove into which it is inserted. Y I

It will be apparent that movement of the Vstuds 20, 2| relativeVv to their grooves, during the recip'V e Yrocation of the carriage, is prevented in this manner, regardless ofthe play existing betweenthe respective surfaces, and that consequently the l studs cannot exert any striking against the groove surfaces, such as would otherwise occur at the 75 end of each stroke of the carriage due to th momentum of the shuttle holders. In the embodiment of the invention'hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, a single spring is provided for each of the shuttleV holder bars I8 to' `attain the aims to which the invention is directed;v it is however understood that more than one spring may be mounted Von the bars I8, to provide resilient means associated with both carriage bars I4 and I5.

Such a modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in Fig. 5, wherein a further substantially U-shaped spring 32 is.

shown clamped between the underside of the bar i8 and a suitably 'enlarged portion 33 of a stud 3d inserted into a groove of the bar I4, the'free leg 35 of the spring bearing against the inner side 3B of the bar I4 to function'in a manner similar to that described'in connection with the'spring 23 associated with the bar I. It will-be apparent ing a pair of spaced parallel members each having a series of grooves formedY along the inner Y side thereof,y and ar plurality of`bars disposed upon said members transversely thereof, eachof Y said bars carrying shuttle supporting means Vand being provided with apair ofspaced studs pro-V jecting therefrom for insertion into VVopposed` Y grooves of said members, to position the bar on said members and'connect the-bar to thefcarriage for reciprocation therewith, the improvement which comprises' at least one 'spring mount- Y ed on each of said bars and having a portion o bearing against a surface of Vone of Vsaid grooved members to prevent movementofVV the bar rela- Y tive to the groovedmembers during reciprocation of the carriage. Y

2. In amulti-,needle sewingr machine having a reciprocable shuttle driving carriage comprising `a pair of spaced parallel members, a series of uniformly spaced grooves formed alongV the` inner side of each of said Ymembers, and a plurality of bars disposed upon said membersctransversely thereof, each of said bars carrying shuttle supporting means' and being vprovided with a pair Y K of spaced studs projecting therefrom for insertion into opposed grooves of said membersto position the bar on said members and-connect the bar to the carriage for reciprocation therewith, the improvement which comprises at least one spring mounted underneath each bar and adapted to engage the inner siderof one of said Vgrooved members to prevent movementof the bar relative to thegrooved members during the l reciprocation oi the carriage.

3. In a multi-needle sewing machine Vhaving a reciprocable shuttle driving carriage compris,-

ing a pair of spaced parallel members, a series of` uniformly spaced grooves formed along the Y inner side of each of said members, and a plurality of bars disposed uponsaidmembers transversely thereof, each of said bars carrying shuttle supporting means and being provided with a pair of spaced studs projecting therefromforjinsertion into opposed grooves ofsaidmembers, to position the bar on said members Yandconnect the bar to the Vcarriage for `reciprecation"therewith, the improvement VwhichV comprises spring means associated with each barand said/grooved members for preventing movement of the studs relative to the grooves-into which they are inserted during recipro'cation of the carriage, said means comprising atleast one substantially U- shaped spring fastened to the bar and having a. leg in engagement `with a surface of one of said grooved members. 1

4. In a multi-needle I"sewing machine having reciprocable shuttle driving carriage comprising a pair of spaced parallel members, a series of uniformly spaced grooves formed along the inner side of each of said members, and a plurality of bars disposed upon saidy members transversely thereof, each of said bars carrying shuttle supporting means and being provided with a pair of spaced studs projecting therefrom for insertion into opposed grooves of said members, to position the bar on said members and connect the bar to the carriage for reciprocation therewith, the improvement which comprises a substantially U-shaped spring mounted underneath each bar, one leg of said spring bearing against the inner side of one of said grooved members to tense the spring so as to urge the bar toward the other member, whereby to prevent movement of the bar studs relative to their grooves during reciprocation of the carriage.y

WALTER A. BEHRENS. 

